Week 4: Content Curation

The play component for week 4 in our Information Programs class is using digital curation tools.  Content curation is the concept of finding, selecting, and sharing the most suitable or appropriate content related to a specific theme or topic. This is done based on different factors of content curation. According to Educause’s 7 things you should know about social content curation, these factors include the selection of content, management of content, findability of data, and usability of data. After reading the article, I have understood that content curation is obtaining, organizing and maintaining data for the future. The importance of information is vital on different levels to different individuals. All users have different preferences. Nevertheless, users can play the role of a curator and select their preferred sites for information by bookmarking the site.  With this said, in my perspective, we are all curators. Content Curation can also demonstrate how combine data with a particular organization and/or community.  

From what I have learnt, providing users with the ability to curate information enhances their knowledge and will to engage with information. Nevertheless, using tools such as RSS Feeds and Bookmarking are essential for social content curation. This is because, through bookmarking, a collection can be developed. Bookmarking may prove to be a better method for curation than RSS feeds although they can both be used to assist users with content curation.

Week 3: Microblogging

Microblogging is a unique social method for people to communicate which appeals to our inherently inquistive human nature. According to Educause (2009), microblogging is the practice of posting small pieces of digital content—which could be text, pictures, links, short videos, or other media—on the Internet. Examples of microblogging in the workplace include:

    Announcements
    Notice Boards
    Agendas
    Calendars

In order to to create or post a micro-blog or to gain access to microblogs created by others, accounts must be created by users. These created accounts are usually connected with email accounts, instant messaging social media tools such as windows live messenger, web pages, and mobile phones. Basically, any form of Web 2.0 technology or medium that can be used to update the micro-blog respectively. Upon observing these updates, users can provide feedbacks, likes or follow the posts of others much like we have seen in social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. The posts that gain correspondence from other users can consist of texts, a photo, video, or audio clip that can be shared privately within a group or publicly for other user to view. These ‘posts’ or ‘tweets’ if using Twitter, can also be about any topic and are available to be read by anyone. Users freely reply to tweets, entering the conversation; responses are made, ideas are swapped and suggestions are offered.

Several organizations and institutes have Twitter accounts. An example of how we use Microblogging is with the use of the hash-tag on the Twitter page.The concept exhibits simplicity, openness and flexibility and is used by for different purposes by different users for this very reason.

Links:

Educause

Week 2: My Online Identity

I have been working with IT ever since my Bachelors Degree. Therefore, a lot of my work is conducted online. I am part of many social networks such as Facebook, Myspace, Gmail, Twitter and many more. All these social networks play different roles and provide different products and services to their users. I have utilized each of these networks to create an online identity for myself and to communicate with others that I share the network with. My name is different across the social network. I use some social networks in a more serious manner (eg. Facebook) whereas on others I may use my nickname. On Facebook, my name is Nana Owusu-Sarfo. However, on Myspace my name is Nanizzle. That's an example of how small factors such as name can affect the manner of how I usual social networks. Also, in my previous subjects I have created blogs and collaborated with fellow students to create large wiki pages on topics such as "privacy in social networks". 

When I'm online, I never reveal information that is very personal. In most cases, I will provide my previous education, name and a few photos for colleagues to recognize me. I tend not to mention my age, nationality, or address for privacy. Additionally, if I wanted others to get to know me, I dont provide these facts about me, so that they can ask and/or communicate to figure out and nevertheless build a relationship with the given person. Having an online identity is important because it can provide many facts about users such as revealing what users like, their hobbies and their beliefs. Additionally, users can provide their opinions online, while remaining anonymous for security measures.

Week 1: Let's Get Going

The first week's activity was to familiarize ourselves with the Blackboard site and then sign up for the Facebook page for INN 333 Information Programs. I am a fifth year university student so therefore, I am very familiar with the QUT Blackboard site due to having five years of experience using it. In order to complete this, a few activities had to be accomplished. These activities included, introducing ourselves by answering a set of questions. The questions that needed answering were:

•     who you are
•     what degree and major you're in
•     where you're up to with your studies
•     what you're hoping to get out of the unit
•     one thing about yourself that no body in the class knows

I am a user of Facebook and also quite experienced at using it. Thus, finding the group and joining it was not a difficult task. I found the group with ease, requested to join and upon joining answered the questions accordingly in order to introduce myself to the class. The third task was to join Twitter by exploring Twitter and using the classes hash-tag to locate it. Once again, I am a user of Twitter so I completed this task with ease. I have completed Web 2.0 subjects in the past and they have very similar steps to this so rejoining and embracing this Personal Learning Network brings back good memories of subjects I have already completed.

About Me

My name is Nana Yaw Owusu-Sarfo. I have completed a Bachelors Degree in Corporate Systems Management. I am currently undertaking a Masters Degree in Information Technology. I started out majoring in Enterprise Systems. However, I had completed most of the units within that major so I changed my major to Digital Environments to learn and understand more subjects within the field of information technology. I am in my second year for my masters degree. My aim in taking this unit is to increase my knowledge and explore the emergence of technologies utilized to delvier information programs, producs and services. One thing about myself that not many people know is that I am from a West African country called Ghana. Each part of my name has a meaning in the language I speak due to the fact that I am from an Akan background. It is usually difficult to discover this because I have lived in Brisbane for nearly 10 years and English was my first language. I am excited for taking this path and hope to assist others other than myself in learning and understanding the concepts behind Information Programs.